A Place To Stay
folder
+G through L › Harvest Moon
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
29
Views:
4,672
Reviews:
5
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
+G through L › Harvest Moon
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
29
Views:
4,672
Reviews:
5
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own the rights to Harvest Moon or these characters. Stories are for entertainment only, and I make no profit off of this.
5
Claire looked out the window at the moon. “Oh, it’s so beautiful tonight.”
Cliff smiled at her shyly. “Do you want to go for a walk?” Claire nodded in agreement, and they bundled up and headed out.
They walked away from the farm, past Gotz’s shop and the path to the Goddess Pond. They continued walking towards the Kappa Lake, which was frozen solid. They paused for a moment, staring out over the glittering ice.
Claire pointed. “They say that there’s a hidden cave leading to a mine full of jewels on that little island.”
Cliff chuckled. “That sounds like a fairy tale to me.”
“It might be true.” Claire wrinkled her nose. “But you’d have to be crazy to walk out over that ice!”
They trailed along the path up to Mother’s Hill. Cliff brushed the snow off of a large, flat boulder, and they sat side by side in silence.
“Mother’s Hill…” Cliff’s voice broke the quiet air. “Why do they call it that?”
Claire shrugged. “I don’t know, really.”
Cliff sighed, and Claire glanced at him. He had slumped a little, looking miserable. “Mother…do you have a mother, Claire?”
Claire mused this for a moment. “Well, yes, technically in the way that everyone has a mother. You have to be born somehow, after all. But no, I don’t have a mother any more.” Claire nudged the snow with her shoe. “My mother died a few years ago. My dad kind of went wild after that, and I lost touch with him.”
Cliff looked at her quizzically. “Wild?”
Claire laughed softly, waving one hand. “No, not wild like crazy. Wild like he was suddenly free…” Claire’s eyes darkened, but then she shrugged. “He’s a grown man though. He can have as many girlfriends as he wants. But I guess it disturbed me a little, to see my dad so happy without my mother. I guess,” Claire took a deep breath. “I guess I kind of lost faith in men with that. You know, like deep down all men just want to have fun, and they’re really just animals.”
Cliff looked startled. “You really think that about all men?”
Claire sighed. “I don’t want to believe it. I guess I need someone to prove me wrong.” She stared out over the frozen land, then looked at Cliff. “All right, your turn. What about your family?”
Cliff suddenly looked miserable again. He was quiet for a few minutes, and then finally spoke. “It was always just me, my sister and my mother growing up. I never knew my father. We lived in a pretty small village, even smaller than Mineral Town. Once I turned 18, I was out of there. I wanted to see ‘bigger and better’ things.” Cliff laughed darkly. “I did see lots of wonderful things, but I saw a lot of bad things too. When I got my fill of the world and got homesick, I went back to my village.”
Cliff paused, staring in his lap, his breath clouding in front of him in the frozen air. “The house I grew up in was abandoned. My mother had died unexpectedly while I was away, and my sister had gone off. To where, I don’t know.” Cliff’s voice broke and his eyes welled up with tears. “I was so foolish to just run off like that. Now I have no family left at all.”
Claire’s heart was breaking for Cliff. She scooted closer to him and put her hand on his. She didn’t say anything, just sat. She had a feeling what he needed right now was someone just to be there, to not go away.
They stayed there like that for some time, then finally Cliff said “Are you ready to go home?” Claire nodded, and Cliff took her by the hand and stood up. Claire was surprised but pleased, and they walked home hand in hand, Claire all aflutter with excitement and nervousness.
Cliff smiled at her shyly. “Do you want to go for a walk?” Claire nodded in agreement, and they bundled up and headed out.
They walked away from the farm, past Gotz’s shop and the path to the Goddess Pond. They continued walking towards the Kappa Lake, which was frozen solid. They paused for a moment, staring out over the glittering ice.
Claire pointed. “They say that there’s a hidden cave leading to a mine full of jewels on that little island.”
Cliff chuckled. “That sounds like a fairy tale to me.”
“It might be true.” Claire wrinkled her nose. “But you’d have to be crazy to walk out over that ice!”
They trailed along the path up to Mother’s Hill. Cliff brushed the snow off of a large, flat boulder, and they sat side by side in silence.
“Mother’s Hill…” Cliff’s voice broke the quiet air. “Why do they call it that?”
Claire shrugged. “I don’t know, really.”
Cliff sighed, and Claire glanced at him. He had slumped a little, looking miserable. “Mother…do you have a mother, Claire?”
Claire mused this for a moment. “Well, yes, technically in the way that everyone has a mother. You have to be born somehow, after all. But no, I don’t have a mother any more.” Claire nudged the snow with her shoe. “My mother died a few years ago. My dad kind of went wild after that, and I lost touch with him.”
Cliff looked at her quizzically. “Wild?”
Claire laughed softly, waving one hand. “No, not wild like crazy. Wild like he was suddenly free…” Claire’s eyes darkened, but then she shrugged. “He’s a grown man though. He can have as many girlfriends as he wants. But I guess it disturbed me a little, to see my dad so happy without my mother. I guess,” Claire took a deep breath. “I guess I kind of lost faith in men with that. You know, like deep down all men just want to have fun, and they’re really just animals.”
Cliff looked startled. “You really think that about all men?”
Claire sighed. “I don’t want to believe it. I guess I need someone to prove me wrong.” She stared out over the frozen land, then looked at Cliff. “All right, your turn. What about your family?”
Cliff suddenly looked miserable again. He was quiet for a few minutes, and then finally spoke. “It was always just me, my sister and my mother growing up. I never knew my father. We lived in a pretty small village, even smaller than Mineral Town. Once I turned 18, I was out of there. I wanted to see ‘bigger and better’ things.” Cliff laughed darkly. “I did see lots of wonderful things, but I saw a lot of bad things too. When I got my fill of the world and got homesick, I went back to my village.”
Cliff paused, staring in his lap, his breath clouding in front of him in the frozen air. “The house I grew up in was abandoned. My mother had died unexpectedly while I was away, and my sister had gone off. To where, I don’t know.” Cliff’s voice broke and his eyes welled up with tears. “I was so foolish to just run off like that. Now I have no family left at all.”
Claire’s heart was breaking for Cliff. She scooted closer to him and put her hand on his. She didn’t say anything, just sat. She had a feeling what he needed right now was someone just to be there, to not go away.
They stayed there like that for some time, then finally Cliff said “Are you ready to go home?” Claire nodded, and Cliff took her by the hand and stood up. Claire was surprised but pleased, and they walked home hand in hand, Claire all aflutter with excitement and nervousness.